Unemployment Rates
| | Jul 13 | Jun 13 | Jul 12 | | VA | 5.8% | 5.9% | 6.2% | | | 5.7%* | 5.5%* | 6.0%* | |
*seasonally adjusted
| | | Jul 13 | Jun 13 | Jul 12 | | US | 7.7% | 7.8% | 8.6% | | | 7.4%* | 7.6%* | 8.2%* | |
*seasonally adjusted
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Accompanying an employee to a health care provider
Q. Is it a violation of HIPAA Privacy Rules to accompany an injured worker to the healthcare provider?
A. The HIPAA Privacy Rule provides an exception that allows employers to receive information regarding a workplace injury. Individual authorization is not required by the injured employee. However, the information is limited to that which is related to the injury. By accompanying an injured worker to the healthcare provider, an employer risks obtaining health information that is unrelated to the injury, which may leave an employer vulnerable to a claim of disability discrimination under the ADA. It is unlikely that the employer would be liable for a HIPAA violation because employers generally are not covered entities under HIPAA's Privacy Rule.
Employers should ensure that an injured employee is transported safely to the healthcare provider and may accompany an employee. However, an employee always has the right to a private medical examination. Some state laws expressly provide that an injured worker may see the healthcare provider of his or her choice and can refuse to be accompanied by an employer representative, including a company nurse.
From BLR.com
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Reliance in Our Communities
Nancy Simonelli, Branch Manager of our Virginia Beach office, is also the Director for Division 14 of the Kiwanis Capitol District. She's working on Project Eliminate MNT, an international push to eliminate maternal/neonatal tetanus, which kills one baby every 9 minutes. Click here to learn how you can help.
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Employee Orientation: Beyond the Manual
 Employees who attend a structured orientation program are more likely to remain with the company after 3 years than those who do not. If you are going to spend money and time acquiring top talent and paying them to work, why not prepare them to succeed and stay? Nancy Simonelli shows you how to give your new hires a great orientation or onboarding experience.
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July 2013 Legal Roundup
The latest news on E-Verify, the EEOC and some especially egregious harassment cases.
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Interns - Everybody Wins
Sherry Sale explains why summer is such a great time to add an intern to your business.
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How to Manage 4 Generations
Katey Brooks outlines the differences in these generations and how best to manage them.
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Best in Staffing 2013: We Made Both Lists!
We're so proud! Reliance Staffing & Recruiting has been named to Inavero's 2013 Best of Staffing™ lists, for both client service and service to associates.
 Reliance is the only local independent staffing firm to make either list, let alone both. Last year, we entered the Best of Staffing Client competition and made the list, so this year we decided to enter both competitions, and got a Yahtzee!
To learn more about the award and what it means for you, click here.
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Safety Tips of the Month: Nail Guns
 Yes, nail guns are incredibly handy, especially for contracting, construction and maintenance. Yes, there was that cool fight scene in Lethal Weapon 2 with the nail gun, plus the one in Casino Royale.
But despite their many desirable attributes, nail guns are not a toy. That's not just everybody's mom saying that, it's the CDC. Each year, more than 25,000 workers are sent to the emergency room by a nail gun injury.
To help protect your workforce from being part of that 25,000, the CDC recommends these tips:
- Use full sequential trigger nail guns - that means a gun with a two-part trigger rather than a "contact trigger," which goes off upon being pressed.
- Provide training - if there's a nail gun on-site, make sure everyone knows how to use it safely, not just the people whose jobs involve nail-gunning.
- Establish nail gun work procedures - if you can make safety part of your employees' regular routines, it becomes part of everyday work and not something they have to pause and struggle to remember.
- Provide personal protective equipment (PPE) - gloves, boots, goggles, hats, all the safety gear. It's not an expense; it's an investment in a safe workforce that misses fewer days due to injury.
- Encourage reporting and discussion of injuries and close calls - Near misses can provide just as many teachable moments as actual injuries can, without all the pain and lost work time. Let employees know it's okay to talk about safety issues.
- Provide first aid and medical treatment - Keep your first aid kit well-stocked and up-to-date, and make sure your workers know how to report an injury and access medical treatment quickly.
For a full report by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), click on the title: Nail Gun Safety: A Guide for Construction Contractors.
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Want to learn more about managing all 4 generations in the workplace?
Download our free 8-page report on managing the different generations that are all working together in the modern workplace:
- Learn the characteristics of the 4 generations currently in the workplace
- Learn the best ways to manage them
- Discover their hidden benefits and potential downsides
Visit this page to get your free report. |
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